Cost and schedule comparison and risk analysis for pile foundation systems

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A foundation acts as the load transfer media from the superstructure to the underlying soil or rock. It is essential to systematically consider various foundation types and to select the optimum alternative based on the superstructure requirements, the underground conditions, and economy. From the perspective of engineering design, different pile foundation systems can be feasible alternatives to fulfill the same purpose (i.e. satisfying identical loading requirements in identical soil conditions). However, a potential foundation solution may appear to be the most economical from a pure design standpoint, but may not be the most economical when limitations on construction activities are fully considered. Through the previous Engage Grant, PI's construction engineering & management (CEM) research group at the University of Alberta has successfully collaborated with Almita in cost and schedule comparison of each of the three foundation systems named above, keeping technical performance constant. Though substantial outputs had been generated from the Engage Grant, these factors as identified justify the need of extended research in order to evaluate cost, duration and risks of piling foundation construction systems in a comprehensive, sophisticated fashion in collaboration with Almita. Upon realization of the objectives in a follow-up Engagement Plus grant, the U of A research team will lend effective decision-support to Almita in the form of a technical report summarizing all the findings and a computer simulation tool along with Excel spreadsheet interface for helical pile engineering and construction in the near future.